


The Vows

by Bellajewels



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:17:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellajewels/pseuds/Bellajewels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please review...</p></blockquote>





	The Vows

Emma Swan stood in front of the mirror in her mother's loft gazing at herself. She looked like a stranger. A radiant stranger. Her golden tresses were half up and half down. The top half was braided in a crown along the back of her head, the rest of her hair falling down in golden waves. Tiny crystals shimmered in select locations in her hair. Her cream colored French lace dress was a long sleeve v-neck with a handcrafted belt and an over-skirt of gathered fine tulle. She looked every bit the fairy-tale princess that she was born to be. She heard the door open behind her and turned to see Mary-Margaret. “Oh Emma. You look amazing.” She looked back at the mirror to avoid the tears welling in her mothers eyes. This was something neither of them had ever expected. For her to be at her daughters wedding. For David to walk her down the aisle. “I need to talk to you Emma.”

“Mom, it's not necessary. This is just a formality.” She wanted to believe that this didn't mean everything to her but it did. Growing up she never even dared dream of this. She was the unwanted child. The one that everyone left. Now here she was getting married. It wasn't a courthouse wedding. She was going to be given away by her father. Her mother was here helping her get wedding. She'd gotten everything she'd ever dreamed of and so much more. “Emma, you're my only daughter. Let me be excited for you. Come and sit.” They walked over to the window seat and sat next to each other. Despite being the mother of the bride Mary-Margaret was dressed in a bridesmaid dress. There were advantages to the curse making her look like she was the same age as Emma. Mary-Margaret looked beautiful in a navy blue 50's inspired pin up dress. It had a shaping bust and a sheer bodice overlay, gathered shoulders, and a pencil skirt. It was perfectly suited for her and appropriate for her role as both maid of honor and mother of the bride. Sitting next to each other they made a vision with the light filtering in through the window. Mary-Margaret took one of Emma's hands in hers and looked at her daughter. “I know we've talked about us putting you in the wardrobe Emma but I need you to know what it took for your father and I. There is nothing that we wouldn't have done to keep you with us. If there had been any other alternative I hope you know that we would have never left your side. These last few years with you, getting to watch you be a mother to Henry, fall in love, and now getting to watch you get married has been a dream come true. We missed so much with you. We all hurt but Emma this is a new beginning. Don't just take today as the start of your life with Killian. It's the start of a brand new life. Everything that has come before is gone now. Take every day as what it is. A blessing. Your father and I are SO proud of you. I know we've made mistakes, myself especially, but I hope you know that there has never been a second where I've been anything less than completely in awe of you.” Tears streamed down both of their faces and Emma was silently grateful that Ruby hadn't shown up to do her makeup for the ceremony yet. “Thank you Mom. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're here with me.” At that moment there was a knock on the door and Ruby walked in with her makeup bag. After the curse had broken she had taken a class online and gotten a degree in cosmetology. It didn't always come that in handy in the sleepy town of Storybrooke but today it was going to be put to good use. “Hello, future Mrs. Jones.”

“And what makes you think that I'm not going to keep my maiden name?”

“Perhaps you will. I just assumed.”

“No, you assume right. Swan was a name I took from someone that didn't want me. Jones will be a name that I take from someone who is promising me forever. How could I say no to that?” Ruby and Mary-Margaret looked at Emma and were astounded by her glow. Without a stitch of make up she looked radiant. Her cheeks had a rosy hue to them and her skin was nearly shining. There was not a doubt that she was the happiest she had ever been. As Ruby put the finishing touches on her makeup there was another knock on the door and Regina popped her head in. “The guys are there. Music's all cued up. Time to get this show on the road.” She, like Mary-Margaret and Ruby, was dressed in the 50's style dress that had been selected for the bridesmaids. Each of them held a bouquet of dark red, almost black roses held together with black satin and pearls. Emma stood and momentarily glanced in the mirror, sizing herself up one more time. She barely recognized the girl in the mirror. So frequently her job had her feeling like she was one of the guys. Jeans, vests, and plaid. She was comfortable that way. This felt nice though. Dressing up and feeling beautiful. She stepped away from the mirror and followed the ladies out of the loft.

 

 

Storybrooke had a lot of pretty locations but there was really only one place that her and Killian could get married. When he first asked he mentioned the forest and a myriad of other places but she knew that none of them would work. Now as she stepped onto the plank of wood that led her to the boat docked by the pier she knew that she was right. The water was the only place for them to say their vows. A boat was the only proper place to join their lives together. He was below deck as she boarded the large boat and was ushered into the captain's quarters. In just moments he would come back out, and she would follow shortly thereafter. It wasn't going to be a large wedding. Back on land a party was being set up but the actual ceremony was only going to be for family. Which in Storybrooke still ended up being rather large. After entering the room she turned and immediately pulled the curtain aside. The sun sparkled on the water and it kept her attention until she saw him. He was dressed in a pair of black suit pants, a white shirt, a pair of black suspenders, and a slim black silk tie. His normally disheveled hair was brushed neatly and his beard was trimmed close to his face. He had asked her last week whether she wanted him to shave but this was what she had fallen in love with. When she said her vows she wanted to be saying them to him. Which is why when he had asked if she should wear his fake hand for the ceremony instead of his Hook she told him no. “Killian, you weren't wearing a fake hand when you kissed me outside Granny's. You weren't wearing a fake hand when you held me after you and David rescued me from Elsa's ice cave. Our first date wasn't memorable because you had a hand. It was memorable because it was you. Because it was us. When I say my vows to you I want to be saying my vows to the man that I'm going to be fulfilling those vows to every day for the rest of my life. I love you, hand or no hand. Hook or no hook.” So there he was, standing in his dress clothes with his hook glinting in the sunlight. He turned and looked in the direction of the captains quarters but she quickly dropped the curtain back into place. She wasn't superstitious but she saw no need to test the fates. Not after everything that they'd gone through to get to this point. From outside the door she could hear the sound of people talking and then finally the knock came to the door. She opened it and there stood her father. Her thirty year old father. “Dad, before you walk me down the aisle and give me away to Killian I want you to know something. I want you to know that you've made me feel like your daughter the last two years. It was something I never thought I'd get. I may have rolled my eyes or pretended to be annoyed but I have loved every minute of it. It couldn't possibly mean more that you're here and that you're walking me down the aisle.”

“The feeling is mutual Emma. But you've made one mistake.”

“What's that?”

“I'm not giving you away. You may be going to be Killian's wife but you will always be my daughter.”

“I will.” She smiled and placed her left hand in the crook of his arm, holding her bouquet in her right hand. As the first strains of the song she was about to walk down the aisle to she took a deep breath as David patted her hand. _How long will I love you, as long as stars are above you and longer if I can. How long will I need you. As long as the seasons need to follow their plan._ She stepped out of the cabin and the sun framed her face perfectly as Killian got his first look at his bride. In perfect time with the music the wind danced through her hair. _How long will I be with you. As long as the sea is bound to wash upon the sand. How long will I want you. As long as you want me to, and longer by far._ Her and David took one step and then the other but for Emma the walk seemed endless. Her eyes never broke from Killian's. She wasn't completely sure that he'd seen her dress, or her hair or anything else as from the moment she stepped out of the cabin he had been staring straight into her eyes. It stunned her to think about how at one point that level of intimacy would have terrified her. Made her turn tail and run. Now all she wanted to do was run in his direction. _How long will I hold you. As long as your father told you. As long as you can. How long will I give to you? As long as I live through you. However long you say. How long will I love you. As long as stars are above you, and longer if I may._ Finally, after what seemed forever, her and David reached Killian at the bow of the boat. The music stopped and all she could hear was the rhythm of the water beating against the boat and the sounds of the birds overhead. There could never be a more perfect soundtrack to her wedding to her pirate. These were the sounds that lulled him to sleep for decades before. These were the sounds that were home to him. Now they were here with him, his only family to see him married. They were giving him away to her. Releasing their captain to his bride. Killian reached for her hand and somewhat begrudgingly David released it to him. For a moment he turned to his daughter and mouthed, “You will always be mine” before leaning down to kiss her on her cheek and going to stand next to Killian. The minister, or in this case Archie Hopper, looked at them before speaking. “Who gives this woman to be married to this man.” 

“Her mother and I do.” The traditional wedding staples took place until it came time to say the vows. Despite it being outside the norm for his land he was insistent on them exchanging their own vows. Emma had been reluctant at first, writing never having been her strong suit, but he was determined. So now the time had come. “Emma, Killian you have chosen to exchange your own vows. Which of you will be going first.” They looked at each other and without a word they both indicated that it would be Killian to speak first. He looked at his bride and he felt tears stinging his eyes. He would never admit it though. For the rest of time he would say that the wind and water were stinging his eyes. “Emma, my love, I thought for the longest time that the only happiness that would ever come to me would come through vengeance. I lived my lonely existence believing that it would fulfill me. When the time came though that I could have my vengeance there was this beautiful vision standing in my way. A beautiful, stubborn vision. For all my years of seeking vengeance all it took was you to make my life worth living again. You taught me that it was possible to come back to life. You woke my heart from a slumber that I thought I would never awaken from. As I've come to know you you've brought parts of me to life that ceased to exist long ago. Parts that I never knew existed to begin with. You make me the best version of myself. I cherish the moments that I get to spend with you and your lad. The two of you have given me what I never dared dream I would ever have. A family. I will spend every day, every moment of my life protecting that family. Cherishing our life. Honoring our vows. Standing by your side in every battle with every dark thing that comes our way. I vow to be your equal, not walking ahead of you but walking beside you. I vow that I will be truthful to you. I vow to love you with every breathe that I take and on into eternity.” Emma's eyes weren't just brimming with tears as he recited his vows. Silent tears slid down her cheeks, dropping onto her dress. He gently released his hand from her grasp to wipe the tears away with the pad of his thumb. “No reason to cry love,” he whispered. She smiled and suddenly all the fears she had about speaking in public were gone. They weren't in public. It was just her and him. There was nothing to fear. “Killian, I have spent my life defining myself by my lack of family. By not being wanted. I love my family but it's with you that I fully feel like I understand what it means to be wanted. You may think it goes unnoticed all the ways that you show me but it's not. The way that you can read on my face that I need your hand in mine, the way you wipe my tears away, the way you hold me without saying a word because with you no words are needed. I know that you find me beautiful when I'm dressed up like this but I also know that you find me beautiful when I've got no makeup on, my hair thrown up on top of my head, in an oversized shirt and a pair of leggings. Sometimes I think you love me best like that. Before you I was used to being alone. At some point I started liking it that way. Then you come along, this devilishly handsome pirate, and suddenly I didn't like being alone so much. It was gradual, but you wore me down. You were persistent in the most amazing way. A friend. Then at some point the friendship was set on fire. I love you like I have never loved any man. You have made my life infinitely better. I look forward to life with you as my crime fighting partner, as my friend, as my confidant, as my husband, and for the rest of all time as my family. You are my family now and I am yours. We belong to each other. I can say without a question in my mind that I will love you with all that I have and all that I am until time is no more.” She held his gaze and a smile filled both of their eyes. Archie cleared his throat and they managed to glance over at him. “Do you Killian take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, to love and to cherish for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health?” 

“Aye, I do.”

“Do you Emma take this man to be your lawfully wedding husband to have and to hold, to love and to cherish for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health?”

“Aye. I do.” Killian took note of her aye and the corner of his mouth lifted into a half smile. “ Do you have the ring?” Emma turned to Mary-Margaret standing next to her while Killian turned to Henry. Each handed them the rings and they turned back to each other. Their eyes met again and Archie began to speak. “Emma, place the ring on his hand and repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed.” She slipped the thick white gold band on his ring finger on his right hand and softly whispered, “With this ring I thee wed.” Her eyes only left his for a moment when she looked down to place the ring on his finger. Immediately her eyes found her way back to his. “Killian, place the ring on her hand and repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed.” He took his hand out of hers, silently cursing the fact that he couldn't hold both of her hands but then remembering that she loved him, with or without the hook. She had asked him to place her ring on her right hand. Momentarily he had protested but if he had learned anything in his time with Emma Swan it was that she rarely didn't get her way. “With this ring I thee wed.” His voice was barely a whisper. Even those standing near him would have had trouble hearing him but this wasn't for them. He he had never believed that he would have this. After losing Milah he thought that the time for love for him was done. He had loved her but even that love paled in comparison to this love. Emma was content will all of him, not just the pirate. It wasn't the thrill of the seas and the respect that being a feared pirate brought. She loved the quiet moments. The moments that most would find mundane. He stared at his bride knowing that it would be the end of the day before they got a moment alone although he desperately wanted it now. To tell her how much he loved her and that this was the happiest that he'd been in three hundred years. Archie cleared his throat and said, “Then by the power vested in me by the state of Maine, and by the Enchanted Forest, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Killian, you may kiss your bride.” There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation. He released his hand from hers to draw her face towards him. Her hands reached up, one framing his face, and the other reaching into the hair at the nape of his neck. Their lips came together and time froze for just a moment. Then the applause of those standing near them interrupted their moment. It hadn't been a kiss to end all kisses. Not like their first or even their second. Not like the kiss from their first date. It was a promise. A promise of all the kisses that would come. 

 

 

As Killian expected the day was very busy. After they had left the boat and returned to town their friends descended upon them almost immediately. They were ushered to a park on the edge of town with their eyes covered. He had a feeling that the townspeople would be busy up to something to celebrate Emma's big day. When they arrived and their eyes were uncovered he was astounded at what he saw. The sun had gone down just after the ceremony but the small park was all aglow with candlelight. Candles flickered in mason jars hanging from the trees and lights were flickering among the bushes scattered around the park. A long table was set up underneath the branches of the largest tree and white place settings for the wedding party was set up on it. There were tables all over the park with for the guests to sit. Both Killian and Emma were taken aback at all the work that had been done to the park. Music swelled as Mary-Margaret took a microphone. “Everyone please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Killian Jones.” Applause rung out through the park and Emma blushed sheepishly. While he knew that everyone was well meaning this was going to be overwhelming for his new bride. She never was very good at being the center of attention, unless she was controlling a crisis. While everyone was clapping he leaned over and whispered, “Just soak it all in. This is all for you.”

“It's for you too.”

“Aye. It's making you happy that's for me. Enjoy it.” They took their place at the table and began their first meal as husband and wife.

 

It was hours later when the revelry was finally completed. As much as they had enjoyed it the newly married couple was thrilled that the night was finally coming to a close. Shortly after dinner the first strains of music started playing and Killian stood, offering his wife his good hand. Without meaning too she took notice of the ring flashing on his finger. He'd always worn jewelry on his hand but for today that was gone. The only ring on his finger was hers. It made her feel good to know that he was hers and she was his. She placed her hand in his and followed him to the patch of grass that had been reserved for dancing. She hadn't noticed that at some point he had changed from his hook to his fake hand. While she never noticed she knew that it was something that he was occasionally self-conscious about. The only thing that she could ever do was to make sure that he knew that it made no difference to her.  _ You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down. You, you enchant me even when you're not around. If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down. I’m latching on, babe, now I know what I have found. I feel we're close enough. Could I lock in your love? I feel we’re close enough. Could I lock in your love? Now I’ve got you in my space. I won’t let go of you. Got you shackled in my embrace. I’m latching on to you.  _ Emma's hands played in the back of Killian's hair as she placed a light kiss on his neck. “Do you remember?” 

“Remember what love?”

“The first time we danced.”

“Of course. You cut quite a figure in that dress.” The smirk on his face was so handsome it made her knees weak. “Is that all you remember about our time in the past? My less than modest dresses?”

“Of course not love. I remember being quite jealous of myself. The way that you lavished your attention on him.”

“HE was you.”   
“He was the man that I had been. By the time that we took our trip through the portal that was no longer the man that I was. I am eternally grateful that you had no more than a passing dalliance with that scoundrel.” She was always unsettled when he talked like he hated who he had been. She loved him as Killian but she had fallen for Hook. He had told her things about his past and while they were bad she didn't want him to beat himself up over them. There were others who had done far worse and had received forgiveness. “Killian, I was enamored with him because he was you. He had so many of your traits. That self-assured confidence, that smirk that drives me crazy, that reckless abandon. You need to know that I love all of you. I don't love who you are more than I love who you are. I don't want you to feel like you have to change who you are to be with me.”  _ I’m so en-captured, got me wrapped up in your touch. Feel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutch. How do you do it? You got me losing every breath. What did you give me to make my heart bleed out my chest? I feel we're close enough. Could I lock in your love? I feel we’re close enough. Could I lock in your love?  _ They swayed in time with the beat and he leaned close to her ear. “I told you that all you needed was a partner who knew what they were doing.” 

“We'll see about that later tiger.” He chucked as a devilish smile crossed her face. “Emma, I need you to know that I have changed. I know you say that you love all aspects of me but I have changed.”

“Did you do it for me or did you do it for you?”

“It started off for you. To prove my worth to you. But it is who I've become now. I feel like that darkness is gone and that I am a better man.”

“The darkness is gone Killian. We saw proof of that when Gold took your heart. I know you saw how red it was. Sure there were dark spots. But if you took mine out I'm sure you'd find dark spots there as well.”

“Not a chance.”

“Don't be so sure darling. I'm not all good. I'm not all bad. I'm human. And in case I haven't told you today I am head over heels in love with you.” He smiled and they put their serious conversation aside. There would be time for that. All the time in the world. For now it was their time to enjoy their happy ever after. For however long it lasted until real life set in.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please review...


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